Dating and Demons
by Pyreite
Summary: Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'.  Feudal Era, A/U.  Kagome faces the trials, troubles, and tribulations of her budding romance with the Lord of the Western Lands.  Sess/Kag.  A story told in a series of short drabbles.  ONGOING.
1. Long and Vigorous

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite** _

_Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_

**Last time from Chapter 40 of Damsels and Demons:**

_Kagome's lips parted. She leaned in, and claimed what was offered. The Lord of the Western Lands received her favourably. The kiss, long and tender, would be the first of many, willingly given, exchanged, and stolen in moments of peace, and war. The legacy of the Spring Circle had affirmed another perfect match._

**Long and Vigorous**

The kiss ended in a groan. Kagome gazed up at her newest admirer. She marvelled at the expression on his face. The frigid mask was gone, and in its place was such serenity, joy, and relief that she wondered if the Western Lord was feigning happiness. "Sesshoumaru-sama?"

The Taiyoukai looked down at this little wonder of humanity. The Shikon Miko was unique. She was neither haughty nor selfish, preferring to care for others than to place her own needs first. The concern that she expressed for him was pleasing. "Yes beloved?"

Kagome blushed. Her eyes grew round and wide. She gaped at the venerable inuyoukai Lord. She couldn't believe what she'd heard. Inuyasha, and Kouga cared about her, but neither of them had ever linked her and that treasured four-letter word in the same sentence.

The Shikon Miko's brows furrowed. The happiness centred in her belly grew wings and fluttered up her windpipe, and into her mouth. She bit her lip, peered up at the Taiyoukai, and wondered aloud. "Are you just teasing me?" she asked uncertainly. "We were fighting a few minutes ago, we've kissed, and now you're calling me beloved as if this is some kind of long-term thing".

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes flashed. He caught Kagome's chin. He tilted her face upwards until their gazes met, inuyoukai gold to anxious blue. "It _is_ long-term", he affirmed. He smiled when the Shikon Miko gasped in shock, and surprise.

The Lord of the Western Lands allayed her concerns. "I accept your suit to court". He smirked when Kagome blushed. "Although it is traditionally the male's prerogative to find a potential mate, your approach is certainly bold, and intriguing". The Taiyoukai curled round her like a large, and contented feline.

"I look forward to a long and vigorous romance my Miko".

Word Count: 300


	2. Feminine Sensibilities

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite** _

_Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_

**Feminine Sensibilities**

Kagome scowled. She glared at the Lord of the Western Lands. "I'm not yours!" she contended hotly. "I never agreed to this courting madness! It was all your idea!" Nose in the air, the Miko's pride radiated in sparks of incensed pink purity that crackled, snapped, and popped in the air around her.

Sesshoumaru nuzzled under her chin. He purred like a cat. Kagome blushed when the tall, imposing, and handsome inuyoukai trailed kisses up and down her throat. The swipe of his tongue over her pulse point and she was squirming. "_Sesshoumaru-sama_!"

The Shikon Miko pushed on his chest. The Taiyoukai nipped her once, and relented with a feral growl. Kagome trembled at the timbre of his voice, a tone that ran bone-deep, and aroused both longing, and desire. She peered up at him under sooty lashes, bit her lip, and barely repressed the urge to snuggle under his arm like a kitten. "You don't have the right to do that and sound sexy! It's completely unfair! I'm a girl Sesshoumaru-sama and you're taking advantage of my feminine sensibilities!"

The Lord of the Western Lands arched a silver brow. His golden eyes glinted. "I am merely expressing my concern for your welfare". He pressed his advantage, and smoothed a clawed hand through Kagome's hair, over her nape, and down her spine. The Miko unconsciously leaned into his touch.

Sesshoumaru smirked when the irritable crackle of her spiritual aura receded. His skin tingled pleasantly. "You did not harm me". The Shikon Miko looked up at him. She smiled shyly.

"I can't very well reduce the inuyoukai that I intend to court into a pile of ashes", teased Kagome. She gulped when the Taiyoukai's golden gaze appraised her from head to toe. It was like being stripped naked, and ogled by a pervert. He was very thorough in his observations, especially when those golden eyes lingered on the hem of her short, and revealing skirt. "_Stop looking at me like that or I really will purify you_!"

Word Count: 336


	3. Future Negotiations

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite** _

_Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_

**Future Negotiations**

Kagome smacked the clawed fingers that curled round and the under the pleats of her skirt. She squealed when the Western Lord tugged playfully. "_Don't even think about it_!" She blushed to the tips of her ears when the Taiyoukai rumbled like a content feline. The tips of his claws skittered along her thigh and down over the cap of her knee.

The Shikon Miko skipped out of reach. "_We're not married_!" She was breathing hard, red-faced, and incensed by his audacity to invade her personal space. "_And you don't have an engraved invitation into my underwear_!" Kagome scowled when he dared to take a step forwards.

"Not yet", quipped Sesshoumaru. He was amused when she stomped her foot in the grass. The Miko set the toe of her shoe to the ground and cut a line across the springy turf. "We are past handholding Kagome. We have fondled one another, embraced, and shared other intimacies", teased the Western Lord. He smirked when the object of his affections jabbed a finger at the imaginary line between them.

Kagome, pink-cheeked with embarrassment, huffed indignantly. "Two kisses do not count as a first date, and there was no fondling of any kind!" She glowered at the confident silver cockerel that loved to play with fire. "We are setting ground rules! You can't just strut your way into my-HEY!" The haughty Taiyoukai overstepped his boundaries and waltzed into her personal bubble as if he owned it.

The Shikon Miko's face blazed from pink to magenta. "We're not dating and you can't just-MMPPH!" Kagome's mouth was full. The kiss, heady and passionate, left her panting. "I think that I can share a little space".

The Lord of the Western Lands radiated masculine smugness. "Good". Kagome groaned when her prospective beau laced an arm round her waist. He rubbed pleasantly soothing circles up and down her spine. Sesshoumaru preferred the hands-on approach to life, and love. "I look forward to future negotiations".

Word Count: 327


	4. Trouble in Paradise

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite** _

_Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_

**Trouble in Paradise**

Kagome appraised the Lord of the Western Lands. She was hesitant to reach for him. The uncertainty was plain upon her face. Sesshoumaru looked down at her. The Shikon Miko's eyes furtively studied his expression, and her gaze drifted often to the swords sheathed at his waist.

The Taiyoukai cupped Kagome's cheek. She stiffened at his touch. He tried to sooth her fears with the tender stroke of a clawed thumb. "I will not hurt you". The Shikon Miko continued to assess his attitude. She was wary.

Sesshoumaru appeared serene and untroubled. Kagome was certain that his demeanour would change the moment she reminded him of the one obstacle in his path. Inuyasha. "But you will hurt the one person that I consider to be my closest friend. He's saved my life many times, been kind to me, and in his own way I know that he cares about me too". The Shikon Miko saw the Western Lord's jaw tighten.

His lip curled, and the tips of his pointed fangs glinted in the afternoon sunshine. The Taiyoukai was shaking with barely repressed rage. The tinge of scarlet was slowly seeping into his gold irises. The Shikon Miko, friend and confidant, to a troubled inu-hanyou braved the storm. She placed herself before the Western Lord, lifted her hands, and cupped his face between her palms.

Kagome was afraid, but in this moment, her dearest friend's elder brother resembled his hanyou half-sibling. "A handful of kisses cannot extinguish years of friendship. I love him Sesshoumaru-sama. I don't know how much, or how deeply but I do. I won't lie to you. You can't just expect me to forget about Inuyasha. He is my connection to you, without him we wouldn't know each other at all, and we wouldn't be here right now".

Sesshoumaru's eyes, tinged red, regarded the brave human. She hadn't balked in the face of his anger. She hadn't run. Kagome had remained before him, uncertain of his reaction, and yet steadfast in her determination. She wanted him to understand the precariousness of her position.

The Shikon Miko held pride of place in two hearts that were at war with one another.

"I will not be second", declared the Western Lord. He was a prideful creature. He desired to be first in Kagome's heart, especially, as she was his prospective mate of choice. The Spring Circle had confirmed the rightness of their match. Sesshoumaru was loath to relinquish the Shikon Miko to the crude, and hapless Inuyasha.

Word Count: 417


	5. Inhuman

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite** _

_Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_

**Inhuman**

"You aren't first Sesshoumaru-sama", asserted Kagome. She stroked the jagged stripes upon his cheeks. He was close to transforming she knew, but he was resisting the urge to assume his natural form. "Inuyasha is my friend, and I care about him. I won't stop loving him just because you're jealous". She sighed, and wondered if they could compromise.

The Lord of the Western Lands was haughty and stubborn. The Shikon Miko could already see the similarities between both brothers. Sesshoumaru was akin to Inuyasha. He liked to have his way. "The human heart can't be owned", explained Kagome. She stroked the Taiyoukai's cheek, and jaw. "I am a person worthy of respect. If you want to have a relationship with me Sesshoumaru-sama than you need to understand one simple thing".

The Taiyoukai frowned. He read between the riddles and understood Kagome's point. "I must learn to share". He was rewarded with a relieved smile. "It will be difficult my Miko but it is not impossible. I can compromise to a degree, however, my natural instincts will require constant reassurance of your loyalty, and acceptance. Inuyoukai mate for life Kagome, and as my chosen, and preferred future spouse, I will need you in ways that Inuyasha will not understand, or appreciate".

The Shikon Miko's blue eyes grew wide, round, and worried. She hadn't considered the Western Lord's innate canine instincts. It was easy to forget that he wasn't akin to her. Sesshoumaru had five fingers on each hand, two arms, two legs, a humanoid face, ears, and stood upright like a man. The differences between them were subtle yet obvious.

Sesshoumaru was tall, broad-shouldered, and yet had a dancer's build. He was strong, lean, and elegant on three feet or two, and his movements were always graceful, and fluid. Kagome saw the oddities too. The Taiyoukai wore a man's form but his ears were pointed like a leaf not rounded. He had fangs instead of flat canine teeth, long and silky hair that glistened moon-silver, and his calloused fingers were crowned with keen talons where the Shikon Miko's own were tipped in blunt, and curved nails.

Kagome suddenly realised the great divide between them. Inuyasha shared part of her humanity while Sesshoumaru was more heavenly than earthly with his ethereal beauty. The indigo crescent upon the Taiyoukai's brow affirmed the Shikon Miko's assumptions. The Lord of the Western Lands was above her, higher than the clouds, and greater than any Man past, or future could ever be.

Kagome was reminded of her ordinariness. She bowed her head, averted her gaze, and mused on the absurdity of a powerful youkai pursuing her romantically. "How can you think of me like that?" The Shikon Miko drew her hands to herself, and held them tight to her chest. "I'm just a silly human teenager Sesshoumaru-sama. I don't have poison, claws, or superhuman strength. Youkai are full of magic, and I'm just plain old Kagome with a face, and a soul that's not really my own".

Word Count: 501


	6. Hopeless Romantic

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite **_

_Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_

**Hopeless Romantic**

The Shikon Miko, powerful yet humble turned away from him, ashamed. She twiddled her thumbs, conscious of her inadequacies. "You shouldn't want me at all Sesshoumaru-sama", reiterated Kagome. She shook her head and wondered on all of the beautiful and gifted inuyoukai females that the Western Lord was turning aside to pursue her alone. She glanced to the circle of white, red, blue, and yellow blossoms near their feet.

Kagome smiled sadly, and bent to pluck a particular flower that was a fetching, and lovely periwinkle blue. She reached for the plant's slender emerald stem. Her fingertips gently brushed the petals and suddenly the tiny bloom, no larger than her thumb, glowed as if it were aflame. "Sesshoumaru-sama!" gasped the Shikon Miko. She snatched her hand back suddenly afraid that she had set off something dangerous when the Taiyoukai's clawed fingers threaded through her own.

Kagome stilled, looked down and saw the strangeness of two hands, one tanned, and one adorned with magenta stripes intimately entwined. She studied the talons that crowned the Western Lord's fingertips, lethal and dangerous, pressing gentle indentations into her skin. Sesshoumaru could break the bones of her wrist, shred her flesh to the bone, and seep poison that could dissolve both in the blink of an eye. "It is more than want", he asserted. "More than desire. I need you in a way that is deeper than you know".

The Shikon Miko glanced to the face of her future. She saw not the frightening visage of Inuyasha's elder brother but a possibility of something _more_. "How deep?" she whispered anxiously. Kagome waited, impatiently, for the Western Lord to mend or to break her heart. He was akin to Inuyasha but also himself entirely.

The irascible hanyou spoke not with words but with actions. Sesshoumaru used both in subtler ways than emotional outbursts or foolishly ill-timed insults. The Western Lord's clawed thumb grazed the Shikon Miko's knuckles. "Like the sea". Kagome blushed.

The Taiyoukai smirked, aware, that his answer although simple was appreciated.

The Shikon Miko was after all a hopeless romantic.

Word Count: 346


	7. The Jewel's Keeper

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite** _

_Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_

**The Jewel's Keeper**

Kagome glanced to the flowers that encircled them. The blossoms had sprouted in a red, white, yellow, and blue sea of unity. The symbol was ancient, a perfect circle, without corners, lines, or edges. The Shikon Miko glanced to the bloom that she had touched. She marvelled when its five petals gleamed like the points of a star, its innate light pulsing in shades of azure, white, and lilac.

"It's beautiful".

The Lord of the Western Lands guided Kagome's hand to another flower. He spread her fingers. "Again", he purred in her ear, persuasive and tender. Sesshoumaru wanted to sow the seed in her mind, an idea subtle and sly, that they belonged together. "The Spring Circle is _ours_".

The Shikon Miko reached out at first, curious and eager, when something tugged at her conscience. She recalled the fair face of a golden-eyed hanyou and was reminded of past loyalties, emotional ties, and duty. She hesitated to brush the petals of a red flower. Kagome bit her lip. The guilt returned tenfold.

"I can't do this!" The Shikon Miko, filled with fear and uncertainty, shook her head. She gripped the Taiyoukai's hand in desperation, and thought of the friends that she had betrayed in thought, action, and deed. "I can't be with you Sesshoumaru-sama! I owe Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku my life! I must complete the Shikon jewel! I can't abandon them to pursue my own happiness! It's too selfish! They need me! I'm the only person in the world that can sense and find the Shikon shards!"

Sesshoumaru appraised the flustered priestess. He understood her dedication. Human and youkai that vied for the jewel were too easily seduced by the promise of its vast and seemingly limitless power. The Shikon bauble was the forbidden fruit that could fulfil ambitions, satisfy the deepest of desires, and bring conceited mortals one step closer to godhood. Naraku yearned to own it.

The Lord of the Western Lands sought to possess its Keeper.

Word Count: 330


	8. Testing the Waters

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite** _

_Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_

**Testing the Waters**

Sesshoumaru was surprised by Kagome's honesty. He had anticipated a quarrel over her eventual return to Inuyasha. The red faded from his irises, and the jagged stripes upon his cheeks receded until the marks were smooth and even again. The Western Lord sampled the Shikon Miko's scent, searching for a sign of deception. He was a dog by nature and used his nose to discern truths.

The bitter tang of a lie was absent. Kagome smelt sincere. "You would be happy with me?" asked the Taiyoukai. The possibility of losing a potential mate that was spiritually attuned to him, a reflection of himself in body and spirit, perturbed him down to his very soul. He looked into the face of his own future and saw a young human woman, sweet and kind.

The Shikon Miko blushed prettily. She smiled demurely. "It's a feeling, like butterflies fluttering in my stomach, that makes me nervous but not afraid. It's as if I know somewhere deep inside myself that I would be happiest with you". Kagome bit her lip. "Which sounds really cheesy right now but I know that it's true Sesshoumaru-sama".

The Lord of the Western Lands sighed in relief. He laid his silver head upon her shoulder. "You feel the beginnings of our bond, a connection, the spiritual attuning of two beings". Sesshoumaru brushed his lips across the shell of her ear. The Shikon Miko shivered when his breath, warm and moist, tickled her skin.

The Taiyoukai ground his teeth. He paused, frustrated, and repressed his natural instincts. "We will court one another with patience. I would savour every look, touch, and kiss earned over time spent with you. Trust and respect will form the foundations of our union Kagome". Sesshoumaru was rewarded with a grateful smile. He pursed his lips to tease her wittily but he was silenced with a kiss.

The Western Lord showed remarkable restraint when the Shikon Miko's tongue stroked his lower lip. She nipped him. He hissed in surprise. Kagome's bold confidence was fast returning. "You taste _really_ good".

Sesshoumaru groaned. "_Kagome_". He tried to retreat to a respectful distance and soon found that impossible. The Shikon Miko had wound her fingers into his hair. The space, mere inches, existed between them.

"This is unwise", asserted the Taiyoukai. He was an honourable creature and suffering terribly from neglect. He hadn't shared the company of an unattached female for many years. Kagome, beautiful and alluring, was testing the waters of his self-control. She sucked on his bottom lip.

It took every ounce of Sesshoumaru's willpower to resist the innate urge to lay her in the grass beneath him. "You must cease". Kagome kissed the corner of his mouth. The Taiyoukai trembled with need and desire. "_Please_".

The Shikon Miko smiled against the Western Lord's striped cheek. She winked playfully when a pair of glazed golden eyes looked down at her. "Now I know how to make you sweat", she teased in amusement. Kagome pressed a finger to Sesshoumaru's lips. "You won't be leading me around by the nose. I'll be leading you".

Word Count: 515


	9. Where You Lead

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite** _

Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'

**Where You Lead**

The Lord of the Western Lands gently nipped Kagome's fingertips. She tapped his nose and clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "None of that Sesshoumaru-sama, or, you won't be getting anymore kisses and cuddles". The Taiyoukai observed her curiously, his golden eyes half-lidded. He purred like a feline, throaty, deep, and wonderfully sensual.

The Shikon Miko's gaze lingered upon Sesshoumaru's mouth. The bow of his lower lip was plump, and succulent. The inuyoukai oozed sex appeal like a lantern shed light. He was beautiful to look at; near irresistible to be around, and already had Kagome pondering what he hid under the silk folds of those ivory robes. She groaned when the Taiyoukai leaned closer.

Two could play at seduction. She couldn't bait the inuyoukai without being baited herself.

"Perhaps we can compromise", he offered, turning the Shikon Miko's game back upon her. She bit her lip and tried to ignore the rapid staccato beat of her heart. The Lord of the Western Lands had certainly gotten her blood racing. He was akin to Inuyasha and yet not. Her hanyou friend guarded, guided, and protected her, but Sesshoumaru seemed to appreciate her as an individual, and not simply as the Keeper of the Shikon jewel.

Kagome was tired of being an exalted prize, and a chew toy stuck in a tug of war between Inuyasha, and a certain overzealous Wolf Prince. She was a young woman, and not just the exalted Shikon Miko. She met the Taiyoukai's gaze, found her voice, and asked quietly. "What exactly are you proposing?" The Lord of the Western Lands was a wily creature.

Kagome wanted to know the ins and outs before she agreed to anything. Her hanyou friend's elder brother had a stubborn streak a mile long. She had a strong suspicion that the Taiyoukai, now confident of his rightful place at her side, would make Inuyasha's life miserable. The Shikon Miko saw Sesshoumaru's mouth curve upward. "You are bound by honour and duty to reunify the shards of the Shikon jewel. It is simple. Where you lead I will follow".

Word Count: 346


	10. Your Shield

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite** _

_Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_

**Your Shield**

The Lord of the Western Lands, smug and self-assured, smirked. He was determined to catch the wild ride that was Kagome's life in the Feudal Era. She wasn't enthusiastic with the idea. The poor Shikon Miko could already imagine the carnage. The two brothers, youkai and hanyou, would tear each other apart, and she would be stuck playing piggy in the middle.

"Thank you but my friends and I can manage". Kagome held up the glass bottle full of the shards that she'd already collected. "You see. We're making progress". The Shikon Miko was confident in her own abilities and that of her companions. The Kami of Fate and Fortune apparently didn't share her optimism.

Naraku, powerful and determined, would not simply topple from his perch and beg for forgiveness. Sesshoumaru perceived the risk. He, a skilled tactician, could greatly improve Kagome's chances of success. "You are mistaken", declared the Western Lord. "I made no offer of assistance, therefore, you cannot refuse".

The Shikon Miko, startled, gaped at the haughty Taiyoukai. Her brows furrowed in confusion. She was sure that he intended to provide support of some kind. "But you said that you'd follow me, ergo, you want to help me find the shards". Kagome wondered what she'd lost in translation. Had she missed something important?

Sesshoumaru stroked her cheek. His face softened. "You misunderstand". He smiled when Kagome stared at him dumbfounded. She was quick to dismiss her own wellbeing. "I do not intend to aid your cause".

"But Naraku is a problem for everyone _including _you!"

The Lord of the Western Lands kissed Kagome's brow. "I care not for the shards, or Naraku's machinations". Sesshoumaru slid an arm round her shoulders. He pulled her close. "You are my greatest concern. I choose to follow because I cannot lead you from danger. If you must walk into a den of dragons than I will be your shield".

Word Count: 318


	11. Lovey Dovey

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite**_

_Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_

**Lovey-Dovey**

The puff of warm breath upon her neck, the arm across her back, and the soft rumbling purr in her ear nearly brought the Shikon Miko to tears. The swell of raw emotion lodged in her throat like a stone. Inuyasha had always been by her side but their relationship teetered between obligation and a comfortable if distant friendship. The hanyou, although kind and considerate, kept Kagome at arms length. She understood his reluctance, and though it hurt to love him, she respected his boundaries.

The Lord of the Western Lands had none of Inuyasha's hesitance. "Allow me to become your confidant, your anchor, and your harbour of safety in this storm". Sesshoumaru offered himself as a friend, a companion, and a future spouse. He, the elder, had the maturity of age and experience over his pup of a hanyou half-brother. "You need not shoulder this burden alone".

The stunned Shikon Miko stared. Her eyes, round and wide, glistened like water. "_Why_?" Kagome was too anxious and afraid to accept the wonderfully fragile thing that made her heart flutter like a bird. She repeated the question, throat tight, when the Taiyoukai's hand gentled round her neck.

Sesshoumaru looked upon her, his golden gaze soft, and understanding. "It is instinctual to protect that which is closest to my heart". Kagome bit her lip. She tried to restrain the urge but a snort and a giggle escaped. "You find my admission amusing?" The Lord of the Western Lands had been trying to win brownie points, especially, when the object of his affections already held Inuyasha in high esteem.

The Shikon Miko grinned from ear to ear, delighted, happy, and light-hearted. "I find the idea of you all being all lovey-dovey incredibly cute", declared Kagome. She snuggled into the Taiyoukai's side when he huffed in annoyance. "Oh don't be offended Sesshoumaru-sama. It's reassuring to think that you have a softer side under all of that scary macho-maleness". She smiled up at him, pleased, and flattered by his compassion.

Word Count: 335


	12. Knights, Pawns, and Lordly Ladies

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite**_

_ Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_

**Knights, Pawns, and Lordly Ladies**

The reigning Lord of the Western Lands was a master tactician and a powerful inuyoukai. He was feared and respected. He wouldn't usually have tolerated such an insult to his dignity but Kagome was special. Only she could insinuate that Sesshoumaru had a soft and gooey centre without fear of reprisal. "I have pledged myself to your protection for your own safety. Inuyasha, while a capable defender, lacks the finesse, subtlety, and restraint necessary to distinguish truth from deception".

The Shikon Miko appraised her would-be Knight. She stroked the magenta stripes that curved round his cheek. Sesshoumaru leaned into her touch. "I know", agreed Kagome. Kaede had shared the story of Inuyasha's downfall, Kikyou's death, and Naraku's web of lies and deceit.

The Taiyoukai was pleasantly surprised by Kagome's acquiescence. Her mouth turned down unhappily, she sighed, and murmured soft and sad. "I've travelled with him for a year Sesshoumaru-sama. I've seen Inuyasha at his very best and at his worst. He is grumpy, brusque and obnoxious but he's also kind, sweet, and thoughtful. He means well even when he's wrong, and he tries to make amends for his mistakes".

Sesshoumaru didn't appreciate her argument. "If I had not intervened. If I had not saved you than Naraku would have profited from my half-brother's foolishness. To have left you unguarded, even for a moment, invited disaster. What amends could Inuyasha have made if the only woman capable of purifying the Shikon jewel had been slain?" He nipped her wrist. Kagome gasped, the pain was short, sharp, and memorable. The bite, deft and quick, was hard enough to leave a raw red mark upon her skin.

"Your trust is misplaced".

Kagome glanced between the puckered, crescent-shaped indentation of Sesshoumaru's teeth on the underside of her wrist to the Western Lord himself. She snatched her hand back, angry and ashamed of his accusations, and her own naivety. Her spine, once relaxed, stiffened. Her face, once an open book, snapped shut. "_You have no right to accuse Inuyasha of negligence_! _It was an accident_! _He isn't to blame for what happened_!"

Sesshoumaru realised that the Shikon Miko would always hold a measure of loyalty to Inuyasha. She would never be content to sever ties with the troubled hanyou. She would not be forgiving if the Lord of the Western Lands drew a line in the sand. "If I am your shield than you are my sword". He held fast when Kagome pushed at his chest and shoulders.

"_I won't be your pawn_!"

The Taiyoukai, calm and composed, offered clarification. "The Spring Circle confirmed the rightness of our match. I will not relinquish you to Inuyasha. You are mine". The Shikon Miko gaped at him, wide-eyed, and afraid. Sesshoumaru nodded grimly. "Naraku will rot in the seven hells. The jewel will be purified. My hanyou half-sibling will take his rightful place within our clan. You will become my mate and equal, the Lady of the West. I vow upon my life and my honour that these tasks will be achieved".

Word Count: 506


	13. Hopes and Dreams

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite** _

_Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_

**Hopes and Dreams**

Kagome stared at the Lord of the Western Lands. He had the look of someone ready to take on the world. The grim determination was etched into the thin line of his mouth, the stubborn set of his jaw, the predatory glint in his golden eyes, and the stern furrow of his brows. Sesshoumaru's graveness unnerved her. The tension between them was palpable, a silence charged with a maelstrom of repressed emotion.

The Taiyoukai's declarations for their shared future were full of confidence, and certainty. Kagome felt the weight of the jewel shards around her neck. Her fingers, slender and pale, shakily gripped the shard bottle. The container dangled from its silver chain and within its glassy confines, the Shikon shards glittered. Sesshoumaru's hopes and dreams rested upon her shoulders.

The Western Lord's faith was frightening. Kagome, uncomfortably wary, sighed when his taloned fingers curled round her cheek. She didn't move or speak, the moment fraught with Sesshoumaru's unspoken expectations. He wanted her to succeed in purifying the Shikon jewel, in making the final wish, and in destroying Naraku, so that they could have a future, together. "_I believe in you_".

The Shikon Miko took a deep fortifying breath. She searched the Taiyoukai's face. He accepted her scrutiny, and patiently awaited her judgment. She was unsure of Sesshoumaru's motives but she was certain of the simple and honest truth. He wanted to rock the world, and shape it anew with her as the catalyst of change.

The Lord of the Western Lands looked down upon her, his golden eyes gleaming like polished amber. "I will pave the way, you will smooth the path, and together we will challenge ancient prejudices, and create new traditions". Kagome frowned. Sesshoumaru pursed his lips, leaned in, and whispered in her ear. "I will fight for you, for us, and for those who will be born of our union".

Word Count: 314


	14. Sultry Expressions

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite** _

_Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_

**Sultry Expressions**

Kagome wondered what the Western Lord had planned. His idea of their future was a great deal larger, and more ambitious than simply defeating Naraku. He was thinking of the days afterward, the time of healing, rebuilding, and of making families. The Taiyoukai, bold and practical, already knew what he wanted to do. The Shikon Miko could almost see the gears whirring in his head.

"We haven't even started and you're already planning a revolution!"

Sesshoumaru smirked, a sultry expression that left Kagome panting. "It is prudent to assess the battlefield before engaging an opponent", he declared haughtily. His golden eyes gleamed with unspoken promises of pleasurable nights wrapped in silk sheets, cured furs, and a pair of strong, magenta-striped arms. "Strategies must be considered, the odds of success and failure measured, before an encounter is advisable". The Lord of the Western Lands had already entertained various scenarios that would help or hinder his relationship with the Shikon Miko.

Kagome blushed. She was pink-cheeked, mortified, and wholly unprepared for the inuyoukai Lord to be so _forthright_. Only Sesshoumaru would approach romance from the viewpoint of an army general. The terribly amused smirk upon his handsome face certainly wasn't reassuring either. "We've kissed and cuddled a few times but we aren't anywhere near rolling in the grass or shedding clothes!"

The Taiyoukai studied his irritable fiancé. She was very red. His nostrils flared and he inhaled. He smelt saccharine embarrassment and the rich overtones of spicy rage. Kagome was close to an emotional explosion of gargantuan proportions.

Sesshoumaru countered smoothly. "I may fondle your aura but not loosen your skirts?" He grinned, all fangs and amusement, when the poor, red-faced Shikon Miko swatted his chest. Her innocence was charming, and her fury refreshing. The Lord of the Western Lands thought it was polite to give her a piece of his mind.

"Set the pace Kagome. I aim to please and to satisfy your every command".

"_Sesshoumaru-sama_!"

Word Count: 325


	15. Love Bites

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite** _

_Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_

**Love Bites**

Sesshoumaru made short work of Kagome's resistance with gentle nuzzling, and an apologetic kiss upon her cheek. She tried to push away from him to give herself the time and the distance to regain her composure. He certainly enjoyed ruffling her feathers. The precious Shikon Miko, opposite in nature to the corrupted Shikon jewel, was innocence personified. She was red-faced, self-conscious, and completely unused to the frankness of a fervently affectionate inuyoukai.

The Lord of the Western Lands, knowing who and what he wanted, had given chase with the fervour of a bloodhound. "You are unaccustomed to the ways of the Inuyoukai", he declared gently. "We would not usually hesitate to act upon our desires, or, our needs". Sesshoumaru considered the young Miko before him. She was fragile yet powerful, human yet unafraid of him.

The Shikon Miko eyed the Taiyoukai. "So the whole peeping up my skirt, fondling my aura, the licking, biting, and kissing is your way of preserving my modesty, and trying not to offend my delicate human sensibilities?" she sniped sarcastically. She turned her hand over, exposed her wrist, and showed him the perfect semi-circular marks of his teeth upon her skin. The welts were an angry red. "Sesshoumaru-sama, in all honesty, you're worse than Miroku. He has the courtesy not to give Sango love-bites where everyone can see them".

Kagome ran her fingertip over the bite. She probed gently, checking for the residue of Sesshoumaru's youki. "I've been around Inuyasha long enough to know that an inuyoukai doesn't just teethe on anything, or anyone, without good reason". She was intrigued by the absence of the burning, the pain, and the inevitable tenderness she'd often experienced in past encounters with poisonous youkai. "You didn't inject your natural venom into me either. The wound is clean and bloodless even though you broke the skin".

Sesshoumaru stared at his fiancé. His precious, innocent little priestess wasn't howling blue murder over the little nip he'd given her. She'd certainly been both upset and outraged when he'd fondled her aura, but now, over the very visible marks of his teeth upon her wrist, she was eerily calm. The Lord of the Western Lands frowned. "You deduce correctly. The mark was not intended to cause injury, or, toxicity. I will clarify my intentions if you would explain your lack of offence".

Kagome fidgeted under the Taiyoukai's keen golden-eyed gaze. He was studying her, scrutinizing every expression, every subtle nuance of her body language, as he tried to determine if she was hiding something important. The Shikon Miko felt like the proverbial insect under the microscope, being picked apart one molecule at a time. "Sesshoumaru-sama", she explained warily. "Most youkai that I've met have tried to kill or maim me. You included. You're certainly the first to bite me and not be purified down to your unmentionables, but, not the first to actually nibble on me and leave a mark".

Word Count: 488


	16. Unsettling Inquisitiveness

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite Sequel to **_**'Damsels and Demons'**

**Unsettling Inquisitiveness**

Kagome bit her lip when Sesshoumaru's silver brows furrowed. His golden eyes narrowed, he leaned closer, and peered into her flustered face. She was pink-cheeked, reeked of sweet embarrassment, and apparently had finally learned that it was better to tell him the truth than to lie. "Marked?" queried the Western Lord. He considered her for the moment, inclined his head, and exhaled a warm puff of moist air upon her lips.

The Shikon Miko shrank back warily. Her admirer was frighteningly frank and flirtatious. The subtlest of smiles, the furtive glance of his eyes, and she was redder than a ripe tomato. Kissing Sesshoumaru was one thing but being ogled by him was certainly an experience for the bolder of heart and spirit. Kagome wished that she had a gigantic bone boomerang, the courage to clobber the audacious lordling, and a fast and fleet companion firecat to ensure a swift retreat. Sadly, she had none of Sango's assets, and had to stomach the Taiyoukai's increasingly unsettling inquisitiveness.

He loomed over her, tall and imposing, a silvered willow amidst a garden of vibrant, star-like flowers. "You bear no mark here". Kagome tensed when the sharp and unmistakable points of Sesshoumaru's fangs ghosted over her earlobe. He nipped her gently, before his tongue licked a hot wet line down the slope of her throat. "Nor here", he whispered under her chin.

The poor Miko panted when the Lord of the Western Lands kissed the dimple between her throat and collarbone. "Will you show me where another has dared to nibble upon you?" Kagome's inexperience and innocence certainly made her malleable to some degree but right now it seemed that she was more likely to express rage than appreciation. Sesshoumaru caught her wrist when she screeched and tried to slap him. "Would you prefer that I investigate for myself?"

"_You're not getting under my clothes_!"

"Not today, however in the fullness of time, that will be our inevitable conclusion", asserted the wily inuyoukai. He felt the tingle of purity spark and sizzle under his clawed fingertips like smouldering coals. Sesshoumaru was amused when the Shikon Miko struggled to suppress the spiritual energies that flared with the snap and crackle of her fiery temper. She was delightfully responsive, a flame to tinder, so unlike the haughty, controlled, and cultured inuyoukai noblewomen of his court. "Calm your ire my Miko. I do not intend to corrupt your innocence. A simple explanation will suffice".

**Word Count:** 408


	17. Proper Instructor

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite Sequel to **_**'Damsels and Demons'**

**Proper Instructor**

"_Let go of me_!" hissed Kagome. She abhorred being treated like a sack of rice by the often stronger, and more powerful youkai that crossed her path. Sesshoumaru's sheer bestial ferocity was a match for Mistress Centipede, Naraku, and every other nasty pointy-toothed terror that had tried on numerous occasions to end her life. The Miko tried to snatch her hand back when the Taiyoukai's grip loosened. She tensed when he caught her fingers.

The Lord of the Western Lands met Kagome's gaze. He smiled graciously, turned her hand over, and gave her palm an apologetic kiss. She blushed prettily. Sesshoumaru's mouth tingled. She could have purified him in the instant; instead, the pleasantly unfocused Shikon Miko was staring at him wide-eyed.

"What youkai dared to hurt you?"

"M-Mistress C-Centipede", stammered Kagome. She was breathless with a mixture of excitement, trepidation, and anxiety. Inuyasha's scary elder brother was a quick study. He'd already gleaned the ins and outs of making her blush like a schoolgirl, bark like a bulldog, and blaze like a lantern without setting his lordly robes aflame. Kagome groaned when she realised that her weakness for handsome silver-haired rat-bags now included Sesshoumaru too.

"_You're horrible_!"

The Taiyoukai countered smoothly. "You are too easily distracted". He had contemplated Inuyasha's crude if effective swordplay. The boy had talent certainly, but without him to guard the Miko's flank, she was vulnerable to attack. Sesshoumaru cupped Kagome's chin, gently turned her head, and nodded to the round white skull of the bird youkai that had dared to steal her from Inuyasha.

"My brother is capable but he has only two arms, two eyes, and Tetsusaiga to protect you. He cannot do all that is needed Kagome. You must be strong enough to guard yourself should he fail to do so".

The Shikon Miko, although annoyed with the lordly nuisance, could understand his point of view. She wasn't a warrior like Sango or a fighter like Miroku. She was plain old Kagome, the inverse of Kikyou, with an abundance of her predecessor's spiritual power but with none of her natural skill, grace, and ability. "What are you suggesting Sesshoumaru-sama?" She'd learnt the hard way that bargaining with the Lord of the Western Lands came with a high and unquantifiable cost.

Sesshoumaru stroked a gentle thumb over her cheek. Her skin was unscarred, soft, and yielding to his touch. The peach flush in her cheeks was wonderfully warm. "You need a proper instructor. I will fill the gaps in your education". He smiled when Kagome gasped and stared at him.

"_You would train me_?"

The Taiyoukai nodded sagely. "Under my instruction you will learn to harness the full potential of the spiritual power that lies within you. I shall teach what Inuyasha, the taijiya, and that perverted monk cannot".

The Shikon Miko asked warily. "What is that?"

"Discipline".

**Word Count:** 475


	18. Do Not Regret

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite Sequel to **_**'Damsels and Demons'**

**Do Not Regret**

Kagome gaped at her would-be tutor, incredulous, that he would be so unselfish and yet utterly transparent too. The inuyoukai arched a silver brow and smiled charmingly. The subtle upturn of his mouth, the friendly crinkle round his eyes, and Kagome blushed again. Sesshoumaru chuckled knowingly. "Your training will be more difficult the longer you try to ignore the attraction you have for me".

The Shikon Miko swallowed nervously, wrung her hands, and looked away. He was entirely too handsome for his own good. The playful youkai didn't mind using his looks to his advantage either. "Don't rub it in", sighed Kagome. She was already starting to lose perspective by being in his presence. She had a responsibility to her friends, a quest to resolve, and an enemy to vanquish; yet, somehow amidst the guilt and duty, she'd gotten herself affianced to Inuyasha's sneaky elder brother.

Kagome was cast adrift in a sea of confusion, anxiety, and anticipation. She hadn't the heart to turn Sesshoumaru away especially when he seemed to understand and accept her for who she was and not for what she embodied. It was refreshing to be treated as if she were an ordinary person and not Kikyou's shadow. "Do not regret the choices that you have made", murmured the Western Lord. His calloused palm curled under her cheek and his long fingers slid beneath her chin.

Sesshoumaru cupped her face. He smiled and his expression was one of such peace, such kindness, and empathy that Kagome felt her chest tighten, her throat ache, and painful pressure build in the corners of her eyes. "I do not regret choosing to be courted by you". The Shikon Miko's breath hitched, her heart throbbed like a wild thing in the cage of her chest, and she wished that her new boyfriend would stop saying the sweetest things that made her want to cry. "I will be patient if you will have an open-mind and open-heart. I want to show you that I am not always arrogant, callous, and dangerous".

**Word Count:** 340


	19. Subtle Yet Honest

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite Sequel to **_**'Damsels and Demons'**

**Subtle Yet Honest**

Sesshoumaru's head was high, the broad line of his shoulders straight, but the furrow of his brows betrayed his anxiety. The plea was subtle yet honest. The Western Lord had put himself in the most vulnerable position. She could refuse him on principle, back out right now, and walk away forever. It would be easy to break her pledge but difficult to appease her conscience afterward.

Kagome's eyes turned watery at the thoughtful way in which he'd given her one final chance to leave him behind. The corners of her eyes itched uncomfortably. "Your life will change". Sesshoumaru stroked a calloused thumb over her cheek and offered her both comfort and guidance. "You could be ridiculed, hated, and feared for being involved with me. We are opposites. Other humans and youkai alike will not approve".

The Shikon Miko, kind and compassionate, smiled through the tears that beaded in glistening droplets on her lashes. Her heart thrummed like the wings of a hummingbird in a blur of raw intuition and sudden wonderful clarity. "I don't care". Kagome smiled despite his ominous prediction for the future. "I'm afraid of failing in my quest to reunify the Shikon jewel. I'm frightened of losing my dearest friends in the war against Naraku".

Kagome reached for him with trembling fingers that wound into the soft fur of his pelt. She stepped into the circle of his arms, pressed her face into the ivory silk of his robe, and sobbed. "Inuyasha doesn't understand how hard it is to appear calm, confident, and strong all of the time, especially, when all I want to do is shatter into a thousand pieces". She hiccupped and the scent of salt and sorrow filled Sesshoumaru's nostrils. "I'm not a warrior. I'm not youkai or hanyou. I'm just a scared human girl that doesn't know a thing about fighting or magic. I might be Kikyou's reincarnation but I'm nothing like her at all! I'm just Kagome Higurashi, a noisy little cricket, not some paragon of holiness!"

**Word Count:** 335


	20. Intended For Me

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite Sequel to **_**'Damsels and Demons'**

**Intended For Me**

The Lord of the Western Lands marvelled upon the oddity of his fate. This small and seemingly unremarkable human was clinging to him like a limpet to a rock. The fear of rejection, of potentially losing Kagome entirely, diminished in the instant that she burrowed into his chest. "I am here", soothed Sesshoumaru. He reciprocated tenderly, lacing his arms round her waist and shoulders; he drew her into a net of safety and protection.

"_I'll try my hardest_! _I'll learn what you want to teach me_! _I'll be a good student_!" assured the Shikon Miko. Her breath came in short ragged bursts. The pitch of her voice wavered between desperation and hysteria. "_Just stay with me_! _No matter what happens_! _Just promise me that you'll stay_!"

Sesshoumaru laid his chin atop her crown, closed his eyes, and surrounded Kagome in a halo of silver. He smelt the undertones of icy doubt, frigid fear, and tangy shame that tainted the briny scent of her sadness. The Taiyoukai wondered how long she'd believed herself to be so woefully inadequate. Inuyasha was brash, irascible, and crude but he was not cruel like Naraku. "Ice, fire, thunder, and strife will not separate us. I will always be here for you".

Soft puffs of moist air ruffled the silky strands of Sesshoumaru's hair. The gossamer threads glistened like moonlight caught in a spider's web. Kagome looked out from under the cascade of fine filaments. The tears spilled over until her cheeks were wet and shiny. She'd imagined a different face (bare of magenta stripes) and different arms (swathed in red not ivory) that would envelop her in a cocoon of warmth and reassurance.

"_I love him so much_", sniffled the Shikon Miko. She recalled the familiar scowl; the intense glare of two golden eyes, and her heart ached with the pain of remembering Inuyasha. The hanyou was steadfast, kind, and considerate but when he paused and stared at her with that odd expression of wistfulness and regret, Kagome knew that it was the past that he saw and not the future. "_But he only sees Kikyou when he looks at me_! _It's so unfair_! _I love him but it doesn't matter_! _He wants her and not me even though we share the same soul_!"

"Kikyou was intended for my brother", advised Sesshoumaru. He glanced over the despondent slump of her shoulders and down to the springy green turf under her heels. New growth was sprouting round her ankles. Emerald leaves unfurled, tiny buds opened, and delicate flowers with five-pointed-petals like stars bloomed in splashes of red, white, blue, and yellow. The meadow all about them was fast filling with more wildflowers that blossomed in the colours of his house.

"You are intended for me".

**Word Count:** 459


	21. Safe Sanctuary

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite Sequel to **_**'Damsels and Demons'**

**Safe Sanctuary  
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Kagome sobbed until her heart, aching with the pain of loss and anger, left her hollow and spent. She sagged against Sesshoumaru, sniffled when he wiped away her tears, and was grateful for the steady hand that rubbed soothing circles up and down her spine. She peered blearily through the slick strands of her hair to the attentive inuyoukai offering comfort, sympathy, and understanding. Kagome would once have expected to see him grimace in disgust over her display of appallingly human weakness. She was relieved when she saw that his face was bare of derision.

The worried furrow between Sesshoumaru's brows and the soulful glint of his golden eyes revealed his concern. "You have shed tears enough for the love that was laid to rest upon the ashes of Kikyou's funeral pyre", he said while gently stroking the pad of a taloned thumb over her tear-stained cheek. "From this moment onward you will cease to dwell upon the past". Kagome's breath hitched, her lower-lip wobbled, and a fresh wave of that same gut-wrenching sadness left her throat tight and raw.

The salty dewdrops upon her lashes, the unhappy downturn of her mouth, and she was close to indulging in another round of waterworks. The firm press of a calloused finger upon her lips startled the miserable Shikon Miko. She stared at the pale talon millimetres from catching the vulnerable tip of her nose. She was more perturbed by the reality of losing a nostril to Sesshoumaru's formidable claws than in drowning her paramour in a second deluge of tears. The Western Lord found Kagome's intense focus so amusing that he tapped that taloned fingertip once, twice, and thrice upon her damp velvet-soft skin.

She was cross-eyed, distracted from her heartache, and unable to repress the unmistakable sound of a watery giggle. Sesshoumaru gently pinched her nose. The bubble of laughter, a happy gurgle, lightened the pall of Kagome's woe. She smiled. She was still upset, still hurting, but the pain had lessened because she'd found safe sanctuary in the circle of the Western Lord's arms.

Word Count: 346


	22. Honest Naivety

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite Sequel to **_**'Damsels and Demons'**

**Honest Naivety**

Sesshoumaru savoured that moment, fragile as glass, when Kagome smiled for him alone. It seemed that she thought nothing of Inuyasha, her friends, or Naraku the instant that she turned her cheek into the palm of his hand. The gesture, one of implicit trust, made her appear both beautiful and deceptively vulnerable. The energy, pure and holy, lingering under her skin could likely nullify the most powerful youkai spells and enchantments with cataclysmic consequences. Sesshoumaru found it fitting that such raw talent should exist in so delicate a lamb whose eyes, face, and humanity exuded innocence.

He wondered if the Kami intended for him to become the wayward Shikon Miko's shepherd. She certainly needed the guidance of an expert tutor and the experienced guardianship of a master swordsman. The lands were too perilous for one human to be left wandering alone far from the safety of civilisation. Brigands lurked on the roads, youkai inhabited the woods and waters, and Naraku's minions roamed the valleys and plains. By air, land, river and stream the search for the Shikon shards and the Shikon jewel's Keeper would entice every desperate, dark, and depraved soul for miles.

Sesshoumaru intuitively understood that the Shikon Miko must be protected. He considered her admission of one near-fatal encounter with a particularly wicked and greedy youkai. He looked his fiancée in the eye and asked gravely. "Mistress Centipede is dead?" His gentle if feisty Miko didn't have the guile to lie. Her eyes, round and glistening, readily reflected the honest naivety of her youth.

"Yes".

Kagome was pulled tight to the Western Lord's chest. The hard surface of his breastplate, a shell of tempered steel moulded round his torso, back, and shoulders, was covered in spikes. She was poked in the cheek by a pair of annoyingly pointy inch-long thorns. She endured the discomfort knowing that to deny her touchy-feely beau a good cuddle was to court disaster. Kagome preferred not to be tickled, kissed, and snuggled into submission.

Sesshoumaru threaded taloned fingers through her hair. He massaged her crown, the nape of her neck, and the space between her shoulder blades until she drooped drowsily with eyes half-lidded. He mused on Mistress Centipede's fortunate fate. The inuyoukai Lord did not take kindly to other youkai daring to covet what he considered to be his own. "It is disappointing that I cannot even the score".

The Shikon Miko was utterly relaxed when she heard that possessive youkai growl. The thrum of Sesshoumaru's heartbeat interplayed with the guttural rumble that resonated in the silk and steel-clad chest under her ear. She felt safe in that moment as if the weight of her quest and the expectations of her friends and foes had diminished. The urge to cry lessened, the sadness abated, and an exhausted Kagome was content to bask in Sesshoumaru's affection. She was tired of being yoked to Kikyou's past like an ox in a paddy field destined to plough mud, stones, and dirt, forever the beast burdened by her predecessor's mistakes.

Word Count: 503


	23. Inuyoukai Guard-dog

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite Sequel to **_**'Damsels and Demons'**

**Inuyoukai Guard-dog**

Sesshoumaru looked upon his paramour. She was unusually quiet, teetering on her feet, and drowsily grimacing. She made a most amusing sight as she tried to snuggle into the hard surface of his breastplate like a sleepy puppy nuzzling for warmth. The Shikon Miko, lacking littermates, would have to settle for the company of an attentive inuyoukai. Sesshoumaru smiled amusedly, kissed her crown, and swept an arm down and under her pleated skirt.

The sudden gush of cold air licking across the back of Kagome's bare thighs made her jump a foot in the air. "_What are you doing_?" The Western Lord grunted in annoyance when she slapped his cheek, nearly gouged an eye, and scratched the bridge of his nose in fright. Her arms flailed wildly until she realised that the gracious youkai had simply picked her up off the ground. Kagome glanced into the face of her squinting, watery-eyed beau, and guiltily bit her lip.

She winced at the sight of the red scratches marring his usually immaculate complexion. Sesshoumaru stilled when gentle fingers stroked his striped cheeks apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't mean to mark you like that. You did give me a bit of a fright. No human, hanyou, or youkai has swept me off my feet before, well, without wanting to flip my skirts, skewer my spleen, or munch on my liver".

Kagome's smile waned when red bled into golden irises. She tensed when Sesshoumaru's lips parted revealing a pair of elongating ivory fangs. The stripes upon his cheeks were fast turning into jagged strips of magenta lightning. The Shikon Miko could feel the prickle of the talons under her thighs growing into large, long, and dangerous white scythes the size of her arm. She decided to risk her life to save all of the selfish morons that had tried to seduce, maim, and kill her over the short years of her life.

Sesshoumaru, on the verge of transforming, blinked incredulously when a tentative kiss was pressed upon his lips. He was red-eyed, seconds from devouring Kagome's greatest enemies, and too distracted by the softness of her mouth to remember his anger. He stared at the girl in his arms when she leaned back, peered at him anxiously, and sighed in relief when he looked a little less murderous. The Lord of the Western Lands studied her curiously for several moments. He repeated her earlier question.

"What are you doing?"

Kagome reddened.

"I'm trying to discourage you from wreaking vengeance upon the heads of those that have hurt me Sesshoumaru-sama. I can't exactly forgive them for trying to skewer my spleen, but I wouldn't be comfortable unleashing my inuyoukai guard-dog on them either".

Word Count: 447


	24. Charmingly Infuriating

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite **_

_**Sequel to **_**'Damsels and Demons'**

**Charmingly Infuriating**

Sesshoumaru gritted his fangs irritably. He glared at the soft-hearted girl petting his scratched cheek. She tried to soften his ire with tactful wheedling. "Please save your anger for Naraku". The red faded from his eyes when Kagome thrust her lower-lip forward in a sad pout.

"I'll kiss you again if you promise not to be angry".

Sesshoumaru's silver brows furrowed. He glared at Kagome. His lips pursed, ivory fangs flashed in the sunlight, and the Shikon Miko squealed when a warm, wet, and sandpapery tongue licked her skin from chin to temple. "_Sesshoumaru-sama_!" Her chin was clasped between taloned fingers, her face was turned to the side, and the embarrassingly blush-inducing gesture was repeated.

"_Sesshoumaru-sama_!"

The Western Lord was satisfied when his paramour was suitably red-faced. The thinning of the magenta stripes upon his cheek revealed his change in mood. Kagome glowered sulkily. She'd forgotten that he was both old and crafty, having lived far longer than the average mortal by several centuries. He'd had hundreds of years to develop that infuriating arrogance.

The Shikon Miko's pride had been thoroughly trampled in the gentlest, kindest, and sweetest manner possible. Her round, fat, and loving cat Buyo did the same thing when she was mad at him too. A well-timed lick, an endearing purr, and Kagome's ire always melted. She valiantly tried to hold onto that sliver of annoyance, but just like for Buyo, her exasperation dissolved into a puddle of forgiveness. She groaned when her would-be saviour smirked conceitedly.

The Lord of the Western Lands was entirely too smug for Kagome's liking. She wondered if all could be fair in love and war with such a great difference between their ages and experiences. She was the equivalent of a squalling youkai pup, while Sesshoumaru himself was a seasoned if young youkai adult. Kagome frowned when she heard the husky purr of his amusement. Her beau was charmingly infuriating.

Word Count: 319


	25. Like A Real Cloud

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite **_

_**Sequel to **_**'Damsels and Demons'**

**Just Like A Real Cloud**

The Lord of the Western Lands cradled Kagome in the circle of his arms. He purred soothingly as he released his youki. The Shikon Miko's reaction was understandable. She glanced apprehensively left and right as youki coalesced around them in a shimmering fog. Her spiritual senses resonated like a plucked string.

Sesshoumaru nuzzled Kagome's cheek when she gripped handfuls of his ivory robe. He waited patiently for her to become accustomed to the primordial darkness of his youki. He was a creature of instinct, of desire, of wildness, and necessity. Kagome would never truly understand the entirety of what it meant to be youkai. Her sense of touch, taste, sight, hearing, and smell were woefully inadequate in comparison to the sensory wonder that encompassed her spiritual potential.

Kagome lacked the foundations of youkai perception, but she made up for it with an aptitude for spiritual awareness. The Western Lord looked forward to training her latent talents. Kagome's first lesson was crucial. She had to _trust_ her teacher. Sesshoumaru was surprised when his paramour peered into his face and asked anxiously.

"Are we going to travel on a cloud of your youki now?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. Kagome was ashen-faced but she displayed a level of trust that amazed him. The Shikon Miko gradually released the white-knuckled handfuls of Sesshoumaru's robe. She shyly slid an arm around his neck, smiled nervously, and looked him in the eye. "I'm ready when you are Sesshoumaru-sama".

The Lord of the Western Lands sank into the mist of his own youki. His paramour trusted him despite the clamouring of her spiritual senses. Kagome trembled when Sesshoumaru's youki bubbled in ominous peaks and valleys as it flowed around his bending knees. She focused on his face as he slowly knelt, folded his long legs, and settled himself onto the thick cloud of youki. Sesshoumaru marvelled when Kagome sighed in relief as he eased her bare thighs across his own.

The Shikon Miko was too distracted to notice the Western Lord's admiring gaze. She was more interested in the oddity of the gleaming youki underfoot. She experimentally toed the cloud, gasped when she found it solid, and immediately dug her fingers into the springy foam. Sesshoumaru was startled by Kagome's delighted laughter. He gaped when his paramour squealed excitedly.

"It's so soft just like a real cloud!"

Word Count: 388


	26. Guilelessly Groping

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite **_

_**Sequel to **_**'Damsels and Demons'**

**Guilelessly Groped  
><strong>

Sesshoumaru marvelled over the abrupt change in Kagome's mood. The anxiety had been replaced by girlish glee. She was smiling from ear to ear, her eyes sparkled like sapphires, and she was liberally running her fingers through the solidified essence of his youki. She was remarkably brave but troublingly naive. Sesshoumaru's youki was as much a part of him, as the heirloom pelt of white fur, shorn from the ivory flank of his father's inuyoukai form.

The pelt, mercifully draped across the Western Lord's shoulder, did not fascinate Kagome. She was busily stroking the cloud that gleamed like polished pearl. Sesshoumaru tensed when her fingertips dug in. He felt the hard rounded tips of her nails catch, drag, and score furrows into the downy fluff of his youki. He groaned when Kagome twirled her fingers in a circle, ground her palm downward, and guilelessly groped the extension of his spiritual aura.

The petting abruptly ceased. Sesshoumaru frowned, peered at his paramour, and stared when he saw that she'd frozen on the spot. Kagome's hands were wound into the thick cloud of his youki. She was red-faced, wide-eyed, and glancing anxiously between the Western Lord and the foamy mass beneath them. Sesshoumaru whimpered when Kagome scrutinised his countenance, experimentally wiggled her fingers, and silently studied his reaction.

He was surprised when the mild-mannered Shikon Miko did not remove her hands from the cloud of his youki. The sly smile upon her face didn't reassure him either. Kagome's eyes twinkled merrily as she purposely dug her nails in again. She was rewarded by a garbled moan. The sudden brutally hot sting of her holy powers made Sesshoumaru howl like a moon-drunk wolf-youkai.

"_Kagome_!"

The roughness of his voice, the breathless panting, and the wild rolling of his eyes made the wily Shikon Miko pause. Sesshoumaru grasped her wrists. He diligently pried her fingers, one after the other, from the soft tendrils of his youki. He growled when Kagome's mouth turned down unhappily. She certainly was more devious than he'd first anticipated was possible.

The Shikon Miko was known for her many virtues, but not her hormones.

Word Count: 353


	27. Responding In Kind

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite **_

_**Sequel to **_**'Damsels and Demons'**

**Responding In Kind  
><strong>

The Shikon Miko, all innocence and sweetness, was unexpectedly devious by nature. She was young, inquisitive, and full of the dreaded hormones that came with puberty. Her behaviour was diabolically confusing to a distinguished youkai like Sesshoumaru. She could be frightened one moment, bold the next, and terribly naïve in those moments that fell between terror and bravery. Kagome, on the cusp of womanhood, was dangerous and unpredictable.

Sesshoumaru regretted his folly. He had acted too soon upon his own desires without fully considering the consequences. Kagome was not youkai. She was a human teenager, full of guile, deceptiveness, and cunning. She was entirely too bold for his own good.

Sesshoumaru glowered when Kagome looked at him with her large glistening blue eyes. His grip tightened when she wriggled her wrists. She radiated the ignorance and innocence of her youth. Sesshoumaru knew better. He would not underestimate his wily paramour again.

Sesshoumaru tenderly rubbed his calloused thumbs over the underside of Kagome's wrists. He held her gently yet firmly enough to keep hold of her wandering hands. He was pleased by her lack of fear, but concerned by her similar lack of common sense too. Youkai flirted certainly, but they did not grope the youki of another, without invitation. Sesshoumaru realised that he should have educated Kagome on the intricacies of youkai-courtship before pursuing her like an overtly eager lovestruck pup.

She was after all merely responding in kind to his playfulness.

Sesshoumaru looked the Shikon Miko in the eye. He decided that it was prudent to give her an insight into youkai courtship rituals, before she became overbold, and tore his robes open. "While I appreciate your ministrations, Kagome, I would advise you to desist immediately. My youki is as much a part of me as my hair, skin, and talons. To stroke one part of me is to encourage a response from the rest of me".

Sesshoumaru arched a silver brow when his paramour lifted her chin, stared him down, and replied snootily.

"You started all of this craziness. You licked me, kissed me, bit me, and groped my spiritual aura first. However I react from now on is entirely your fault, Sesshoumaru-sama. Don't even try to play the innocent victim here. You're just as curious about me as I am about you".

Word Count: 385


	28. Tenuous Connection

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite **_

_**Sequel to **_**'Damsels and Demons'**

**Tenuous Connection  
><strong>

"That is true", admitted Sesshoumaru. He was arrogant by nature, but he could be agreeable when the opportunity was beneficial. He was inclined to encourage Kagome's curiosity. She had, thus far, responded favourably to his own thinly-veiled excuses to familiarise himself with her form, scent, and taste. Sesshoumaru found the spicy-bite of her anger, tantalisingly honest.

Kagome was refreshingly sincere. She reacted with the frankness of the inexperienced teenage girl she was. She smelt sweeter than a spoonful of honey when she was embarrassed. Sesshoumaru preferred the fragrance of her mortification to the saltiness of her sadness. Kagome smelt like a stormy sea when she was unhappy.

Sesshoumaru had little difficulty imagining the encroaching thunderclouds when her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Kagome's misery tasted like a bitter unripe plum. She had pride, certainly, but she was too sensitive to the judgement of others. Sesshoumaru would put the _steel _in her backbone, even if it meant crossing swords with his hanyou half-brother. Inuyasha had an inuyoukai's faultless perception.

He would have known of Kagome's insecurities. She might love the fool, but she would not spend her life mourning the loss of a relationship, doomed to be overshadowed by Kikyou's memory. Sesshoumaru's face softened when he considered the new tenuous connection he shared with the Shikon Miko. He wondered if she had the strength to step away from Inuyasha, to leave her past behind, and to take her place beside him. They shared a common enemy, but Sesshoumaru was uncertain if they would share the same future.

"I wonder if you truly understand what you have done", declared the Western Lord. "Fondling my youki is an open invitation to bite, to tease, and to flirt among youkai". He regarded Kagome sombrely. It was better to be honest than to lie. "If you were receptive to my advances than our flirtation would end with the shedding of clothes, the sharing of furs, and several days and nights entwined somewhere dark, warm, and secluded".

Word Count: 331


	29. A Genuine Spitfire

_**Dating and Demons by Pyreite **_

_**Sequel to **_**'Damsels and Demons'**

**A Genuine Spitfire  
><strong>

Sesshoumaru eyed Kagome as a hunting hawk would a mouse. She would either erupt like a geyser spraying a deluge of scalding expletives or try to retreat into the battered shell of her dignity. Sesshoumaru hoped to experience the former rather than the latter. Kagome was feisty and impudent, a genuine spitfire, who when given proper instruction, could potentially bring Man and Youkai alike to their knees. She only had to understand one simple rule.

To play with the Lord of the Western Lands was to _play with fire_. Kagome was the Shikon Miko, a paragon of good, unwittingly plunged into a sea of sharks. She had only to drop a single bead of blood into the water to entice a multitude of ravenous power-hungry youkai into a feeding frenzy. Sesshoumaru wasn't inclined to share the bounty that he had found. He fully intended to keep every precious inch of her to himself.

Kagome's boldness was answered with an equally bold statement. Sesshoumaru did not waste words, nor would he allow so delightful an opportunity to tease the Shikon Miko, to slip through his fingers. He leaned forward, pursed his lips, and told her plainly what would happen were she indeed a flirtatious inuyoukai female. "You would spend night and day reciting my name like a mantra, until nothing else existed between heaven and earth, save the pleasure, pain, and satisfaction that I alone could give you". Sesshoumaru smiled seductively.

"A kiss, bite, and touch are simple gestures of my affection, but are not the entirety of what I could, would, and can do, my dearest, Kagome".

The Shikon Miko's eyes were round like twin moons. She was red from crown to chin. Sesshoumaru chuckled when he smelt the saccharine sweetness of her embarrassment and the spicy overtones of outrage. She was a delightful tangle of shock and exasperation. Sesshoumaru found her sharply-worded reprimand more amusing than offensive.

"_You won't be indulging those masculine sensibilities anytime soon_,_ Sesshoumaru-sama_!_ I am not a hussy_!_ You will be dating me properly for a good long while before we even get close to first base_! _ You still have to get past Inuyasha_,_ Sango_,_ Miroku, and Shippo__ too_! _ If you can manage to stay alive without getting your dangly bits sliced off_,_ skewered_,_ burned_,_ and clawed into little bloody pieces than we'll talk about a supervised sleepover_!"

Word Count: 393


	30. Most Precious Thing

_**Dating and Demons **_

_** by Pyreite **_

_**Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'**_

** Most Precious Thing**

Sesshoumaru eyed Kagome like a cat would a mouse. "The chase, my Miko", he said candidly. "Is half the fun". He smirked amusedly when her face turned a vibrant shade of mortified tomato-red. She was so delightfully easy to fluster.

Kagome glanced down. She saw how her legs were scandalously draped over Sesshoumaru's silk-clad thighs. He had caught her hook, line, and sinker. She was sitting in his lap like some frivolously flirty _scarlet woman_. Kagome stubbornly folded her arms, curled her lip, and glared at her would-be suitor.

"So you caught me this time", she admitted. "But you won't catch me so easily next time".

Sesshoumaru smiled broadly, cheeks dimpling, as he bared his fangs. He patted Kagome's knee, his fingers dancing along the edge of her thick white socks, where fabric gave way to smooth sun-kissed skin. "I look forward to the challenge", he stated with the confidence of a seasoned cockerel. Sesshoumaru was already certain of his victory. Kagome might play coy, but he knew that she enjoyed their little game of tag and chase as much as he did.

Sesshoumaru's smugness evaporated when Kagome's mouth turned down unhappily. She pouted like a disappointed child. Her eyes, a bright sapphire blue, cooled to a dark and broody indigo. "Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama", she told him sadly. "I'm very young and very human, but even I know that your strength, power, and wealth as an inuyoukai Lord won't ensure that I give you the most precious thing in the world that I possess".

Sesshoumaru's silver brows furrowed when Kagome gently caught the striped hand trying to slide up her skirt. She clasped his fingers tight as he stated the wrong answer with certainty. "The shards of the Shikon jewel". Kagome sighed and shook her head. Sesshoumaru was intelligent, certainly, but also too much the proud and clueless youkai to grasp the concept of something so pure, so precious, and so very simple.

"No, Sesshoumaru-sama", corrected Kagome. She lifted his hand into her lap. She smiled sadly as she patted his wrist. She tried not to be patronising, but it was better that he learned this lesson now than later. "The Shikon shards, powerful as they are, are not the most precious thing I have".

Word Count: 392


	31. It Is Natural

_**Dating and Demons **_

_** by Pyreite **_

_**Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons' **_

**It is Natural**

Kagome watched Sesshoumaru's eyes golden eyes widen in astonishment. She was _worried_ when his pale cheeks flushed a vibrant rosy-red. Kagome waited with bated breath as the Lord of the Western Lands opened his mouth. She prayed to the Kami that he was a little more intuitive than poor perverted Miroku. Surely Sesshoumaru-sama could be a romantic too.

Kagome hoped she was right.

Sesshoumaru was too much the typical male youkai. He glanced from her face to her chest and downward to the gentle slope of her belly. He stared long and hard at the rumpled jersey concealing the hem of her pleated skirt. Inuyasha was reckless, certainly, but not stupid. The hanyou would never have deflowered this incarnation of the Shikon Miko as he had the last.

A chaste priestess was more powerful than a married one.

Sesshoumaru, humbled beyond words, smiled regretfully. "Humans and Youkai alike know that the virtue of a Miko is a precious commodity". Sesshoumaru chuckled when Kagome's expression turned sour. He entwined their fingers when her lip curled disdainfully. She was a second from spitting fire when he spoke the words that quenched her indignant rage.

"But I _know_ something that most Humans and Youkai do not".

Kagome scowled. "And what is that, Sesshoumaru-sama?", she asked waspishly.

Sesshoumaru's expression softened. "The Shikon Miko's heart, soft and gentle and kind, is more precious than all the riches in the world". He leaned inward when Kagome's anger was snuffed out like a candle-flame. She sniffled, eyes tearing up, as he kissed her temple. Sesshoumaru knew that only time could mend the damage Inuyasha's indifference had done to Kagome's confidence.

She hid her heart beneath the battered shell of her dignity. Sesshoumaru would need time and patience to earn her trust. He was certain that her heart would naturally follow the same path. Kagome was a creature of habit. She loved freely, openly, and wholly with the entirety of her being.

"When you are ready, Kagome", said Sesshoumaru. "I will accept what Inuyasha could not".

The Shikon Miko's breath hitched. She peered at him through water-soaked lashes. She saw shades of Inuyasha in his features. Their eyes were the same shade of gold. The shape of their mouths and noses were similar too. The thick fringe and long flowing silver hair could have marked them as twins if not for Sesshoumaru's paler complexion, elfin youkai ears, and magenta-striped cheeks.

"You look so much like Inuyasha", blurted Kagome. "But you don't act like him". She wept at the bitter irony of it all. "He's gruff, impatient, and indifferent. He has moments of compassion and sweetness, but he's always hesitant to show me just how much he really cares, Sesshoumaru-sama".

Kagome rubbed her cheek into Sesshoumaru's palm when he cupped her chin. "I know so little about you", she admitted. "But I feel like I've known you forever, Sesshoumaru-sama". Kagome sighed as her tears were wiped away. "I'm so comfortable around you. I'm so much happier too. It can't be natural or right".

"It is natural", Sesshoumaru assured her. "It is right".

"Because the Kami say so?", challenged Kagome.

"No", replied the Lord of the Western Lands. "Because I sense, deep inside myself, that you are mine".

Word Count: 547


	32. Impatience of Youth

**_Dating and Demons_**

** _by Pyreite_**

** _Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_ **

**Impatience of Youth**

Sesshoumaru saw the question in her expression before she uttered the words. Kagome's brows furrowed in confusion, her teary eyes sought his as she searched for an explanation. The youkai Lord, in that moment, pitied the narrow perceptions of humanity. Kagome was extraordinary, certainly, but also ordinarily unable to believe in something as simple as _Fate_. Sesshoumaru sighed wearily, head shaking as he silently mocked her inability to understand simple spiritual matters.

Kagome's charming huff of indignance made him smile.

"You know something!" she accused. Sesshoumaru patiently endured the hard poke in between the seams of his armour. Kagome had unwittingly found a place where she could slip a finger between the steel rim of his breastplate and the silk of his robe. She prodded him again, demanding certainty. "Be a gentleman and tell me!" demanded Kagome.

Sesshoumaru caught the hand and the offending finger jabbing him in the shoulder. He held tight when Kagome tried to pull away. She frowned when he deftly clasped her wrist in his long clawed fingers. "You told me once that you knew where you would be happiest", said Sesshoumaru. He watched her patiently, golden eyes warm and kind as he waited for her answer.

Kagome's telling blush pleased the Lord of the Western Lands. She dipped her chin shyly, at a loss for words. Sesshoumaru stroked her knuckles with a clawed thumb. He smiled despite her reluctance to answer his bold declaration. He inhaled, nostrils flaring, and smelt the acrid tang of her anxiety.

"You are afraid".

Sesshoumaru smiled when Kagome grimaced. She was guileless. Her face too open a book to conceal the turmoil within. Her youth gave her strength, purpose, and a overwhelming sense of emotional vulnerability. She could not comprehend the importance of so significant a stage in her life without stepping into the unknown.

"The seed is there, Kagome. You will understand as it takes root and grows slender shoots and leaves", assured Sesshoumaru. He leaned inward, lips pursed, as he kissed her cheek. The gentle display of his affection made her blush. "When the bud forms and the flower blooms. You will know what I know", soothed Sesshoumaru. He chuckled when Kagome pouted disappointedly.

She had the impatience of youth too.

Word Count: 376


	33. Reunion

**_Dating and Demons_**

** _by Pyreite_**

** _Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_ **

**Reunion  
><strong>

Kagome was quiet for the rest of their journey. Her furrowed brows, downcast eyes, and down-turned mouth worried Sesshoumaru. He could smell her anxiety. The bitter tang, akin to sour milk, intensified unpleasantly the closer they came to reuniting with her friends. Sesshoumaru knew that it was not a difficult task for him to find his younger brother.

He had been keeping an eye on the boy for years.

Inuyasha was a stereotypical inu-hanyou teenager. He might have had the appearance of an adult, but in youkai years he was far younger. Sesshoumaru knew, without a doubt, where the boy would be. Inuyasha gravitated to what was familiar. Sesshoumaru did not need to see the terrain passing beneath his cloud of youki to recognise the thinning tree-line.

The alpine forest, once thick and green, gradually gave way to gently rolling grassland. The paddy fields, flush with water, were another sign of human habitation. Sesshoumaru saw the rickety bridges, the dusty unpaved dirt-roads, and the wooden roofs weighed with stones before he heard the lowing of oxen. Youkai kept beasts of burden too though none as loud or as mindless as the bovine beasts the humans yoked to the plough. Sesshoumaru maintained an air of decorum, out of respect for Kagome, though he loathed being windward of the general foulness that drenched human villages.

Sesshoumaru watched Kagome as they came within sight of a familiar ramshackle wooden house. He had assumed correctly that Inuyasha would retreat to safe ground. The boy was visible, silver hair flying like a banner in the wind, as he perched like a bird amidst the stones on Kaede's roof. Sesshoumaru gently ran a palm down Kagome's back, silently offering his support, as he directed the cloud of his youki to descend. He felt the tremor in her spine the moment Inuyasha caught sight of the green fabric draped across her shoulders.

The brusque bellow of her name. The mad scramble downward and over the lip of Kaede's roof. The loud crunch of rock and dirt underfoot. The frenzied leap onto the cloud of youki, the sinewy arms flying open, and the calloused fingers spread wide and eager to grasp. The hanyou was within seconds of reuniting with Kagome when a powerful hand closed like a vice around his throat.

Sesshoumaru ignored the Shikon Miko's startled gasp when he caught Inuyasha mid-leap. He wound an arm tight around her middle when she tried to leave his side. Sesshoumaru dug his claws into tender tanned flesh. Inuyasha's pained yelp stilled the trembling fingers straining to reach forward. The throaty hiss of warning made Kagome cry.

"Please! _Please_!" she pleaded.

Sesshoumaru glared at the offender responsible for Kagome's misery. He held the hanyou aloft as he casually unfolded his long legs. Inuyasha hissed and spat like an irate feline, golden eyes glinting red with rage and confusion, as he dangled like a rag-doll. The cloud of youki floated level with the highest slope of Kaede's roof. Sesshoumaru ignored the gathering throng of spectators below, though he heard their voices, and smelt the pleasing spice of their fear.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" cried Kagome. "_Please don_'_t kill him_!"

Word Count: 527


	34. Deadly Serious

**_Dating and Demons_**

** _by Pyreite_**

** _Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_ **

**Deadly Serious  
><strong>

Sesshoumaru was reluctant to acknowledge Kagome's plea to spare Inuyasha. It would satisfy his baser youkai instincts if he eliminated the immediate threat to her safety. He was tempted by the pulse throbbing under the pad of his thumb. Sesshoumaru considered crushing Inuyasha's windpipe until he gagged on his own blood. It would be a quicker and cleaner death than dissolving his vocal chords in an acidic miasma.

The boy hardly deserved lenience, but for Kagome's sake, he chose not to slake his thirst for blood. "I greet thee unhappily little, brother", said Sesshoumaru. He looked Inuyasha in the eye. The familiar tinge of scarlet stained the boy's irises. The hanyou was seconds from succumbing to the fervent tide of rage that always preceded a youkai's transformation into their natural form.

Sesshoumaru pressed the clawed tip of his thumb into the prominent lump of Inuyasha's adam's apple. The skin smarted an angry red. "Do not test my patience", he warned ominously. "I will tear out your throat before you can unsheathe Tetsusaiga". Sesshoumaru heard the hiss of calloused skin sliding over leather as Inuyasha reflexively gripped the sword's hilt.

"You wouldn't dishonour the old man's memory by killing me!" spat Inuyasha.

The hanyou was stubborn. His defiance would have ensured his death at the hand of a lesser youkai. Sesshoumaru _was_ too honourable to disgrace their mutual father by committing the sin of kin-slaying. The Inutaisho had been as devoted to his human mistress as he had to his youkai spouse. The contentious issue still grated at Sesshoumaru's pride even though he finally understood why their father had acted so selfishly.

"_Choose your battles wisely_", growled Sesshoumaru. The guttural rumble of his voice, dark as death, carried the weight of steel behind his words. His fangs glittered like shards of ice as his lips peeled back in a ferocious snarl. "_I can do worse than kill you_". Sesshoumaru glowered at his foolhardy younger brother.

Inuyasha had always tested the limits of his patience.

"The wise do not provoke the viper to bite", cautioned Sesshoumaru. "My venom would cripple you beyond healing". He dug the tips of his claws into Inuyasha's throat. The hanyou's pained grimace, full of loathing, mollified his baser youkai instincts. "You _are_ resilient little, brother, but you have none of my immunity".

Inuyasha was brash but not stupid. The tone of Sesshoumaru's voice, pitched low and menacing, made the hanyou's breath catch in his throat. He had baited, argued, and fought with his youkai half-brother for years uncounted. Sesshoumaru had never, in all that time, sounded so deadly _serious_. The hard glint of those golden eyes, glaring under a pair of furrowed silver brows, reflected the frustration of a son eager to rectify their father's mistake.

Word Count: 462


	35. Even Trade

**_Dating and Demons_**

** _by Pyreite_**

** _Sequel to 'Damsels and Demons'_ **

**Even Trade  
><strong>

Kagome wept in earnest now. The tears coming thick and fast in a flood of despair. She gripped Sesshoumaru's arm. Her nails catching like claws on a slippery ivory-white sleeve. She stared at Inuyasha, blue eyes round and watery, as she pleaded on his behalf.

"No! _ No_! Please let him go! Please! _Please_!"

Inuyasha saw her face streaked with tears. He heard her frantic sobbing. Kagome, ever gentle, implored Sesshoumaru to spare his life. Inuyasha was startled when Kagome willingly cast away her freedom. He gasped at her desperately foolish words.

"I'll stay with you, Sesshoumaru-sama! I'll do _whatever_ you ask! _ Just let him live!_"

Time slowed to a crawl. Inuyasha's heart pounded like a drum in his ears. Kagome, his poor naive Kagome, dared to strike a bargain with a youkai. His mother, Izayoi, had been the same. Gentle, guileless, and so terribly unselfish.

Kagome like Izayoi was everything that a youkai was not. She was all too human with her dulled senses. Her eyes, nose, and ears were incapable of perceiving the finer nuances of body-language, scent, and sound. Kagome would never understand the intricate web of communication that Sesshoumaru was using to convey his intent. Inuyasha saw, smelt, and heard his half-brother's silent declaration.

The way an ivory-sleeved arm wound around Kagome's waist showed possessiveness. The saturation of her hair and clothes with that familiar acid-sweet musk revealed an intimacy that made Inuyasha's stomach churn. The soft rumble, akin to Kirara's feline purr, throbbed soothingly in Sesshoumaru's throat. Inuyasha knew a hostage when he saw one. His bastard brother intended to keep Kagome as the Inutaisho had kept Izayoi.

"_NO_!" Inuyasha roared brokenly, the rage giving way to fear. His fingers unwound from Tetsusaiga's hilt. The red faded from his eyes. Inuyasha met Kagome's sorrowful gaze. The blue of her eyes, so like the sky, were different from the doe-brown earthiness of Kikyou. They shared the same soul, but unlike Kikyou, Kagome was willing to sacrifice herself to spare him suffering.

Inuyasha considered the one thing of value he owned. One glance at Kagome, struggling to free herself from Sesshoumaru, convinced him to make a counter-offer. The snap of leather. The rasp of steel. Inuyasha ignored the horrified gasps as he unsheathed Tetsusaiga. He endured the painful bite of Sesshoumaru's claws a second longer before turning the hilt towards his half-brother.

"I'll offer you an even trade", said Inuyasha. He scowled when Sango, pacing like a she-wolf below, protested loudly.

"You can't!"

"_Shut up_!" snarled Inuyasha. He willingly offered the sword of destruction created from their father's fang. His fingers slid down the rusted blade. His claws scratched on the metal causing sparks to spit like tongues of flame. "Tetsusaiga for the safe return of the Shikon Miko".

Word Count: 467


End file.
